After trading for Russell Westbrook, the Los Angeles Lakers have spent free agency trying to find the best possible bargains on the market to fill out the roster as they are already well over the luxury tax and only have minimums at their disposal to add players to their roster after using their mid-level on Kendrick Nunn.
Many of their signings have been former Lakers, as Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, and Trevor Ariza will all be back in L.A. for another stint. They’ve also added Carmelo Anthony for a long-awaited teaming up with LeBron James, but as it stands now, the Lakers have just 12 players on their roster (plus a pair of two-way players). That means there are still three roster spots to fill (although it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to leave one open for a buyout player later) as training camp approaches. With two undrafted rookies on two-ways, one would expect those spots to go to more veteran help, and another (briefly) former Laker has caught their eye.
Isaiah Thomas has spent his summer lighting up the pro-am circuit, most recently scoring 81 at the Crawsover in Seattle, proving that he’s not just healthy but is starting to feel like his game is rounding back into form. According to Marc Stein, Thomas (who has had some interest from the Celtics as well) is on the list of targets the Lakers are considering for those final roster spots on a minimum.
The Lakers, among various free-agent candidates they are still considering, have weighed the potential signing of Isaiah Thomas, league sources say.
Full story here: https://t.co/6HDSSTYyTK
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 11, 2021
Adding a bit of fuel to that report was a tweet from LeBron offering some love to IT on his journey back.
Yessir Killa!! Keep going my G! #TMC
https://t.co/iYxIMjNE3D
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 11, 2021
The two played together briefly in Cleveland after the Kyrie Irving trade, as Thomas was still dealing with his hip injury, and Thomas was eventually sent to the Lakers from the Cavs in a trade that season. A reunion could be in order, as the Lakers could add Thomas as their third point guard behind Westbrook and Nunn. Whether Thomas fits the bill as the best possible option is a decision for Rob Pelinka and company to make, but it would certainly add another big name to a Lakers roster full of them.